


Monsterfucker

by ChingKittyCat



Category: Hoshi no Kaabii | Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Kirby - All Media Types
Genre: Backstory, Gen, Past Child Abuse, Time Skips, Violence, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 11:27:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13569624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChingKittyCat/pseuds/ChingKittyCat
Summary: "Geez, what's wrong with that guy? Couldn't take a joke.""That's Yamikage," 'Doc' advised, tending to Jecra's fresh wound, "he's been out here for a long time. Definitely not the nicest guy to be around. Make him mad and.. Well, you saw for yourself what happens."Doc patched it up pretty well, almost like he never got a throwing star tossed at him with deadly accuracy in the first place."Is he always so grouchy and edgy? He's like Meta but worse. I didn't even think that was actually possible, to out-edge an edgelord."There's a defensive noise from the orb in question who sat just on the other side of the tent, but he didn't speak up."Yeah, as far as I can tell. He likes to be alone, and basically only talks to other ninjas, so chances are you won't have any other problems with him while you're here."-Rated Teen for namecalling.[Fic Art]





	Monsterfucker

    The floor was a slap to his pride and to his face. Being forced to 'kiss' it because he'd been bested in battle. It was so painful only because the touch of his face on the floor was so familiar. Because he'd been defeated oh so many times. He'd heard the observers scoff a bit, because they already knew the battle's result before the match even begun.  
    His entirety wished it wasn't so. He wanted to put others on this polished wooden floor. He didn't want to be down here anymore. But one end of his head was literally being held down by the victor's foot. And his head is literally his entire body. They'd dug their heel right into the soon-to-be-bruised spot, just to assure that getting up would be a hassle he didn't want to expend effort on.  
    He was kept down there longer than he'd expected. Longer than he deserved to be, too. It just made him glower and further furrow into himself, plotting what exactly he should do to this cocky 'victor' after the tournament. After the tournament.. Yes. Something's going to happen. He swore it. For some reason, others are going to end up assassinated. Quietly poisoned.   
    People were going to end up dead in the morning.  
    He finally staggered up as soon as he was let to, and trotted off to the sidelines. He shed his visor, throwing it to the floor for the next poor sod to use. He was done. He's going home. He has things to do.  
    "Yamikage! Where do you think you're going?"  
    Ugh. He turned to look at his teacher, who had appeared out of nowhere to block his path to the door.  
    "I was beat. I get to go home."  
    Yamikage didn't even bother to look his teacher in the eye. He knew he was in for a scolding from his parents, he didn't need a downcast glare from his educator as well. He was prepared to just shove his teacher to the side, but then he remembers that this guy was extremely strong, and also very hefty. The chance of Yamikage moving him even an inch was less than one percent.  
    "You fought one match. You're staying until you do the rest, like you were signed up to do."  
    One match is torturous enough. He just wants to leave and brood about murdering his classmates so that way he's the best due to the lack of competition. Is that so much to ask? Apparently.  
    "No."  
    "Yes. You're going to stay here and fight everybody else."  
    Yamikage looked to his classmates (who all were sitting patiently on the little cushions placed on the sidelines), none of which were paying attention to him or the teacher. There's approximately twenty other students here. Twenty other battles to fight in and promptly lose. Twenty other humiliations, lined up just for him. Twenty. It made his stomach twist, his frustration only deepen.   
    "You cannot get better until you practice. That's what these tournaments are for."  
    The teacher gestured to the new match, which was being set up at the current moment. The person who'd beat him had gone and sat down, two entirely new egg-like kids were up there now with their wooden sparring batons.  
    "I've practiced enough. I've lost enough. Just let me leave-"  
    "Sit. Down."  
    After a dazed moment, Yamikage blinked, moved to the seating area, and then did exactly that.

* * *

  
  
    The academy's library was always locked promptly; one hour after classes ended. Everyone would be forced out of it unless they had specific supervisor admission to be in there; which only the most elite of students did. Even those elite, though, needed an actual adult to be watching them as they did their business in there.  
    It was always locked up, but it was never monitored. No one figured any of the students would dare to try and lockpick the doors open. Because why would they? Lockpicking was a forbidden skill only used by the lowest of the low. Also it was a lot, lot more complicated then it looked. No one wanted to bother to put in the extra work to look at some dusty scrolls.  
    Except Yamikage, who was dressed in total ninja attire for tonight's activities. Hair in a ponytail and all.   
    The locks popped off the ancient door's chains, and he had to grab onto the chains and gently guide them down so they didn't rattle. The two actual built in locks were next, and they took significantly more time. He internally praised whatever deities were watching over him when he eventually jimmied them open. Only when he got into the room did he breath a sigh of relief.  
    He locked it behind him to make it look like he was just a teacher or someone else was visiting.   
    There was no reception desk, barely any place to sit down. The room was illuminated only by the hanging lamps, which there was probably a total of nine in the entire place. The ceiling was low, and the amount of shelves was basically suffocating. The amount of scrolls stored was even moreso.   
    But he wasn't looking for any old ninjitsu scroll. Keeping his tools inhand, Yamikage worked his way past all the bookshelves to the opposite end of the room, where another door stood, exactly the same as the library's entrance door in all regards. It was just as difficult as the one before it, and when he finally got it open, a swell of pride lifted him.  
    Tucking away his tools, he had to put some actual muscle behind opening this one. The door was a lot.. Thicker? Yeah, it was a lot thicker than the last for whatever reason. Well, whatever. He was still pretty strong, so he managed to get it open enough for him to get in, then close it behind him. Lock it too.   
    This new room was extremely small. There were only two shelves, one on the left wall and one on the right. The one on the right actually stored books. The left had the typical rolled parchment. Though, they had covers that were a tad different than the typical scrolls.  
    Yamikage mused internally, smiling externally as he snatched a book, ripping it open to its middle. His eyes scanned the pages and their contents, and he was delighted by what he found. He put it in the middle of the room, going and grabbing more and more books from their places.  
    His next hours were spent learning magic. Yes, magic. He learned of runes, of gestures, of alchemy, but all very vaguely. He wanted to cram as much as he could, so he was learning only the basic parts of spells and what not.  
    One of the books, covered with a rather frightful looking demonic figure on it had been one of the books he was saving for last. Mostly because it had literal chains strapped to its spine and making it impossible to open without lockpicking; which Yamikage did not desire to do much of for a bit.  
    So, when he eventually did grab at it, he shifted the chains, trying to see the book's title.  
    "Fear magic?"  
    He whispered, unfamiliar with the strand. Only one other text had mentioned it, and it was in passing about how one particular magic restraint rune could 'even restrain wielders or creatures of fear magic'. So it must be a rather out of the way magic. Perhaps it was extremely strong, so strong that it needed to be kept under lock and chain? But, that raises the question..  
    Why did the school have this book? Why was it here? Why would they- Why?? It doesn't make any sense. If it was a forbidden magic, a scary one, then why would they even  _keep_ this book rather than burn it? Were some of the teachers, like, learning this stuff? Is that why this was here?  
    The thought of controversy stirred in his head. He didn't want to think about it, the idea of a teacher, or even a headmaster telling students to never learn magic.. Then going off and reading from an obviously evil magic book when the school closed.   
    "Just keeping all the good stuff for themselves."  
    Yamikage scoffed, picking at the book's page and opening it as far as its chains would allow. His eyes narrowed when he made out the text of the book. It was in an entirely other language. One he didn't know.   
    "Fantastic."   
    He huffed. He was so excited too.  
    Yamikage busied himself putting all the books back in their places, turning to the scroll shelf with renewed confidence. He plucked one scroll from its slot, staring at its decorative cover for probably a moment too long.   
    He'd unraveled it, looking at its contents. Instructions. Instructions on how to do something.. Regarding wind? A specific sort of ninjitsu that allowed one to control wind, to blow opponents off their feet. Interesting. He committed it to memory, being completely and utterly silent as he photographed the page with his eyes.  
    This moment of silence made him hear noise from outside. In the library. He went pale under his mask, looking around the room quickly for any sort of escape.  
    The door was heavy, they'd notice if he moved it. There's no windows, there's no vents. There's nowhere to go. Absolutely nowhere. Clinging tightly to the scroll with suddenly sweaty hands, his eyes darted along the scroll's shelf. Between the ceiling and the top of it there was a little bit of space. It wasn't shadowy, it wasn't.. Well, it wasn't sneaky at all. But who would look up there in the first place?  
    Yamikage scaled it with a small bit of wallclimbing, utilizing the small gap between the shelf and one of the walls to eventually get to its top. Though, when he'd gotten up there, he wobbled. Which made the entire thing wobble. Which made him wobble more.  
    This wobbling continued until the shelf fell face forward with a loud bashing noise, just barely covering his yell. Yamikage squabbled, rushing to the other still standing bookshelf to get ontop of it. This time, he was much more successful, and just in time too. He heard the door click, locks jiggling. Then he literally saw the door open to reveal one teacher and one elite student who was far older than Yamikage. The teacher gasped, and the student quickly scanned the room. Yamikage was found literally instantly.  
    The unnamed student tapped at the teacher's arm, and pointed at Yamikage. He felt his blood boil, but his face grow terribly cold.  
    "Yamikage!"  
    The teacher shouted, and he felt his heart stop.  
    "Down here! Now!"  
    Yamikage's eyes darted to the door they stood right infront of. He looked down to the floor, to where they stood. He scanned the wreckage the other bookshelf made. If he pushed this one down.. He could get both of them. Knock them both out. Then what? What would he do?  
    That's an issue for future him to figure out.

* * *

  
  
    "Lockpicking, entry into the library without supervisor or permission, entry into the teacher only library, theft, assault on staff and peer.. You've made quite the list, Yamikage."  
    Yamikage kept his gaze to the stone floor. A downcast expression was the best one to use to imply guilt; even if he had absolutely none. He hoped his little trick would work, but he knew the master of the academy wasn't exactly the most empathetic egg in the world.  
    "Your parents have already been informed of your crimes against the academy, and they've approved of your punishment as well."  
    Yamikage's red eyes glimmered even more furiously at the thought of his parents approving of this. Guess it's better than going to prison or juve, but still. The people who literally created him should have some sense of defense for him. Ugh. What's he getting mad over. They don't care, whatever. Whatever!  
    The master came over, lightly grabbing at Yamikage's hands with one of his own. He brushed over Yamikage's knuckles with his thumbs before letting go. Yamikage, now, decided to look at the master. He held a face of fake sympathy.  
    "If I were a different person, I'd tell you some story relating your position to mine. But, Yamikage, I do not have any stories like that. So you're going to have to ruminate on your own problems without one."  
    The master looked around the stone cell before looking to the ground. He lightly pushed Yamikage out of the way before grabbing whatever was down there. Within the moment, manacles were snapped around Yamikage's wrists. Handcuffs. Ones literally anchored to the ground.  
    "What're the chains for?"  
    He questioned, internally raging over being treated like some sort of beast.  
    "Chains are useful for holding down a lot of things."   
    The older man turned from Yamikage and headed for the door. He turned back, looking to the jailed child rather dramatically before continuing.  
    "You happen to be one of them."  
    With that, there was a slammed door, and a brooding student left in an isolation chamber.

* * *

  
  
    "You're lucky the school doesn't fuckin' sue for damages."  
    Yamikage received another swift slap to the back of the head, wincing. His mother was definitely not the most.. Ehm.. Gentle lady. His father followed the same, but arguably, his mother was worse because she loved to berate him about it for years. His father did it for maybe a couple months then drowned the memory out in alcohol, but his mother-  
    "You're already a problem child as is, now you're a fuckin' criminal too!"  
    She snarled, tugging back on his brown hair, forcing him to rip his eyes from the television and towards the ceiling. He hissed in pain, hands grabbing at hers in an attempt to get her off. Successful in doing so, she'd retreated to slap his head once more, slapping so hard that it actually threatened to take his entire body into the table infront of him.  
    His siblings, one brother and one sister (both younger), didn't even so much as look at him for fear they might invoke their mother's wrath towards themselves. They just ate their food while he got abused. The usual scene. How he'd wished they'd be the ones to screw up, to incur her wrath. To see what it feels like when they're abandoned by their siblings.  
    But that never happens.  
    "Just you wait until your father gets home, he'll give you what for. Beat you so fuckin' hard you're gonna be wishin you were back in that damn cell they put you in. And I bet you fuckin' wonder why he drinks!"  
    This time she did something new. She pushed his head. She pushed it downwards, into the table. Where his food was. It doesn't particularly matter what he was eating, the only important parts of his food were the following two things; it had soup, and it was hot.  
    Yamikage screamed and fought against her hold easily. Partially out of a desire to defend himself, mostly out of rage, he grabbed the rest of his prepared food and flung the remaining hot water back at her. He could tell she'd stumbled back, and from there he'd stood up. She cursed and growled, going for him, but he's a child. A child going to literal ninja school. A place where agility and reflex is honed in all grades.  
    He'd sidestepped her, letting her clatter into the table and destroy his sibling's pleasant and quiet dinner. Yamikage was more than happy to grab the other bowls and dump them on his mother's head as soon as he got the chance. She wanted to slap his head? Okay. She gets hot soup on hers.  
    Yamikage huffed and puffed, adrenaline still bursting to the point where his hands were twitching from the inactivity. He got one look at his siblings faces. Shocked. Like they'd just watched a meteor crash into a town and destroy it in its entirety.  
    Then their mother got back up, hair sticking to her furious face. Her red eyes definitely told how absolutely enraged she was by Yamikage's display of physical dominance.  
    "You're in real fuckin' trouble now, boy."

* * *

  
  
    It's lunch time. Yamikage buys his own lunch from the academy's vending machines since the stuff they've got in the machines was a lot better than the stuff they whipped up in the cafeteria. The aesthetics of this school were sorta weird sometimes. Vending machines in some hallways, and olden lighting in libraries. They really should just stick to one or the other.  
    "Yamikage! Hey!"  
    His eyes shot wide and he looked around in a state of puzzlement. No one in this place, not any of his peers, really cared for him. That's what he'd thought, what he'd assumed, anyways. But, well, someone dared to prove him wrong. That certain person was running up to him with three of their friends. All four of them were male, all four were his age as well. Naturally, just like everyone else, they were the same species as him too. All four of them had different hair colors. Primary colors, obviously dyed.  
    "We heard about your whole break and enter thing, did you really do it?"  
    ..Oh.  
    "Yes."  
    "So what're they keeping in that 'teacher' library huh? I bet there's some," the green haired egg giggled to himself, doing airquotes, "adult only study material."  
    Yamikage made an awkward silence, keeping the other boys in anticipation. Not on purpose, of course, he just. Wasn't good at socializing. He'd take solace in being alone, training, all that. Even when he was younger. Should he entertain this kid by saying yes or be boring and say no?  
    "Well," Yamikage fought it over in his head before finally coming to a decision, "I did see one magazine in there.. Didn't open it."  
    "Stars, dude! No way! You gotta be joking!"  
    That got a good reaction. They're all smiling now.  
    "Not joking."  
    Yamikage joked, realizing he was smiling as well. Guess when one sees others smile, it makes them smile as well. It feels nice, relieving almost.   
    "Hey, real talk," the one with red hair prefaced, "did you get that slice from trying to beat up whats-his-nuts? The master? Looks like he got ya good."  
    Yamikage covered the fresh scab under his eye like he were self conscious, or fearing its opening. Made by a sharp piece of glass, and not by accident either. He'd disinfected it the best he could when he'd locked himself in the bathroom.  
    "No," Yamikage was still smiling, "my dad."  
    That seemed to sweep over them like a cloud of an atom bomb. All four were clearly uncomfortable.  
    "Uh.. Sorry to hear that, man, y-yknow, my dad would probably do the same."  
    Telling by the red haired child's nervous and sympathetic tone, Yamikage could tell that his dad would  _not_ do the same. Kid's just lying to make Yamikage feel better. Which he appreciated. Even if it was paper thin.  
    "Who are you guys..? I've never seen you before."  
     Mostly because he never bothered to actually look. Yamikage's smile was slightly lessened as he questioned, but he still feels a bit happy.  
    "Well, guess we're your new friends, huh?"  
    "What-"  
    "Yup. New friends. Right, guys?"  
    They all huddled around him in this weird hug. There's an assortment of different agreements from the other boys as they'd accepted Yamikage as one of their own.

* * *

  
  
    Not having friends was a grievous mistake, Yamikage found. They had plenty of perks outside of being sources of happiness. His friends cared enough for him that they'd do things for him. They'd keep him in their own homes whenever he knew he was going to be endangered at his own, they'd help him study, they'd invite him into games, they'd introduce him to others at times.  
    Since he couldn't rely on his siblings or family, he relied on his friends. Sometimes he'd spend weeks, hopping from one friend's house to another to stay. Their parents would sympathize with him and let him stay when he told them of his situation back home, and they'd let him (albeit reluctantly) stay for a few days.  
    His time at home was lessened, he'd studied more, he'd accumulated more friends.  
    And more importantly, he was finally, finally the one who'd battled others and won. He, himself, right now.. Stood ontop of a defeated foe. He'd stood for a long while, more than happy to take in the happy faces of his peers, and the disbelief of his teachers.  
    For Yamikage, the one who had been stepped upon, finally managed to be the one using others as stepping stones. He had climbed his way to the top, besting his friends in combat. Perhaps in not the most fair ways, but still, he'd done it nevertheless.  
    After all, who's going to blame the  _wind_ for their defeat when they're fighting  _indoors_?

* * *

  
  
    "Hey, you wanna join the army after school?"  
    The questioning tone from his friend had caught Yamikage's attention from the store's window. Sure enough, the red-haired boy was looking at a poster put up on the sidewalk's streetlamp pole. It was brightly colored, and there were, indeed, great big letters saying 'Galaxy Soldier Army' right on the top of it. Yamikage headed on over.  
    "After school today or after school is done?"  
    He questioned back, getting closer to see what exactly was on this sheet of paper. Images of alien species all looking valiantly to the left, determined faces.. Sure was something no short of thin propaganda. Valianc, any sort of sign of victorious faces, really, just give him a break. Seriously. Only someone who never went to history class would think that the GSA had any chance of winning as of right now. They can fool themselves, but they're not fooling him.  
    "After we graduate, smartass. Looks like they won't be coming around until like.. After graduation, yeah?"  
    "Yeah, dying sounds like a lot of fun, actually. Better than getting some retail job."  
    His redhead friend rolled his eyes.  
    "Y'know, GSA only comes to planets with Star Warriors on them-"  
    "Or planets full of canon fodder."  
    "Geez, harsh."  
    "I'm just saying."  
    Yamikage couldn't see a Star Warrior existing on Shostar. Sure, their ninjitsu is literally supposed to be renowned, but. Still. If there was a Star Warrior on this forsaken planet, the GSA would've already snatched them up a long time ago.  
    "We should get the rest of our classmates to go. Could be like. A little army in and of itself. The ninja army or something."  
    Yamikage entertained the idea of an entire squadron of ninjas cutting down monsters in his head with precision and all the prestige that followed it. Sure did look pretty cool. Would probably feel pretty cool to do it too.  
    "Ooh yeah, that'd be rad. Cutting down monsters with swords, blood gushing everywhere, all the ladies rushing to us whenever we get leaves. We'd be like, y'know, heroes! An entire squad of badass war ninjas!"  
    "..Yeah, that sounds good. Lets do that."

* * *

  
  
    "Star Warrior?"  
    Yamikage parroted, trying to make sure he heard what he was told right. He felt ever so slightly dazed, like someone had just mentally slapped him. This was his recoil, to repeat what he'd just heard.  
    "Yup, you're a Star Warrior alright, kiddo. Chosen by the Stars themselves to serve their command, do heroism, all that good stuff."  
    The Birdon extended its wing to him, like some sort of handshake. Yamikage looked at it, then into the duck-like creature's eyes. Before he could, it was shaken for him, and the bright yellow bird put his wings back to himself.  
    "You and your friends passed the physical exam, so you'll be fine soldiers too. Your name's uh.."  
    There's a nice, awkward silence before Yamikage snaps out of his daze.  
    "Yamikage. My name's Yamikage."  
    "Oh! Right. Very um..  _Interesting_ name."  
    The duck gives this almost sheepish smile.  
    "Well, Yamikage, I'm General Airward, commander of the GSA and leader of the Star Warriors. You'll be working personally under me along with a select other few. And telling from your amount of friends.."  
    Airward looked out the ship's examination room's window to see a long line of freshly graduated ninja students going into a different ship, face lit with pride and the same satisfaction one gets from getting an extra chicken nugget in a ten piece box.  
    "We're most likely going to have a lot to talk about. So, go ahead and-" Ducky looked back at Yamikage like he'd said something wrong, "Oh, you do wanna say goodbye to your family before we leave, don'tcha? You won't be seeing them for quite some time."  
    "No, not particularly."  
    Yamikage shrugged.   
    "No family?"  
    "Stars, I wish."  
    Airward took to that well, like he'd gotten that sort of response multiple times in the past. Well, considering how he's going out and about introducing himself to Star Warriors and all.. Yeah, that's probably the case.  
    "Well, best to familiarize yourself with the ship, then. You'll be in here until we can actually send you and your friends into battle. Which might mean a couple weeks or a couple months."  
    "Lets hope for a couple weeks."  
    "Eager, are ya?"  
    "You have no idea."

* * *

  
  
    Yamikage only thought entering the war was a mistake when one of his friends got killed. Watching it happen, watching a monster slice into the poor egg with sharp claws and remorseless attitude, it was. Horrid. That was someone he'd known, and they were ripped from him just as suddenly as denial ignited in him. He'd slaughtered the monster, yes, but the permanent loss on his little group was. Well, permanent.  
    "I-I wanna go home."  
    One of them said.  
    "I think I'm going to vomit."  
    Another said.  
    The first sight of loss. The very first. Yamikage knew this wouldn't be the last, and that thought made him terrified for the future. It made him terrified, and it made him angry. He wasn't sure as to why it enraged him. Perhaps it's the fact that this loss would not prevent others from dying as well. Perhaps it's that others will die, maybe even he will, and this person could've been there to stop it.  
    Perhaps the Dark Matter floating close to his face was annoying him and that's what's making him mad. Yeah, no, these over-glorified flies were obnoxious, and Yamikage would appreciate it if they literally didn't fly around him when he's trying to grieve over a dead friend.  
    "Get away from me before I stab that damn eye of yours out!"  
    Yamikage exploded, making the flying orb flinch from the suddenness, but it went smug.  
    "Try it," the vile fly responded, "I'll let you join your friend there before you can even so much as unsheathe your sword, egg boy."  
    Yamikage growled at the chuckling dark entity, eyes shooting down to the makeshift grave in the cracked earth then back to the floating black orb. Yamikage didn't even think twice before slapping at the Dark Matter with the back of his mitt-like palm. It did not connect.   
    "Trying my patience and my funnybone, egg. I'd obliterate you, but oh boy.."  
    Even smugger now.   
    "I think you're worth keeping around. You're like a cow. I need to milk you for all your rage's worth."  
    Using him as a food source. Of course. Ugh. And he can't do anything about it, can he? Airward said that the Dark Matters were just around to feed off soldiers negativity, that they were just a third party that did nothing, and provoking them was a bad idea. And here Yamikage was, provoking one.  
    "I'm going to kill you one day for this. You'll be oh-so-sorry then."  
    "Whatever helps you sleep at night, egg."

* * *

  
  
    Yamikage found it thrilling, at first. Murdering monsters. Slicing creatures of evil in half, watching the blood and gore spill. Exhilarating. Over the years, it'd become lessened and lessened, though. Watching his friends get picked off one by one, for them to be replaced months later by unfamiliar faces, perhaps that was part of the thing that lessened it.  
    The trauma of loss. The true loss of all of his friends from his childhood, with people only now listening to him not because they respected him as a friend, but because they respected his experience in battle.  
    The unfamiliar faces put him in a near disassociative state at times. He was so lucky these phases of dream-like state never happened on the battlefield. Key word there.  _Was_.  
    Yamikage stood over a twitching monster, wheezing and gurgling from its cut throat. Eye darting back and forth between the ninja and the sky. This monster had been playing dead, trying to hide amongst its recently murdered allies despite not having any injuries of any sort. Yamikage had fixed that, slicing it open with a swift strike.  
    He could've left it alone.  
    The thought of it, watching his friends die, being alone amongst their bodies and being forced to play dead in an attempt to pass off as a corpse so he might be able to flee.. Only to be found and ruthlessly killed by the enemy. Yamikage felt something rotten bury into him. His gut twisted and he cringed at the still scwabbling monster before him.  
    He insisted that if it were him on the ground, that Enemy's monsters would've done the same to him. They absolutely would've. But another part of him, one that said that monsters were not the brightest and didn't check for vital signs told him otherwise. He would've been spared by a literal creature of evil, if it were him. If it were him, hiding, he would've been spared. But he didn't give it the same treatment.  
    He couldn't stand it anymore. He didn't want to hear it's noises. He raised his sword once more and decapitated the head completely from the monster's body, silencing it within the second. It's eyes constricted, then dilated, glassing over with relaxation and death.  
    Yamikage wiped at his face with the same hand that held his sword, sorta bunting himself with its handle. He wiped his face of sweat, monster gore, and paleness infected with a most sinister virus, sure to come up again in the future.

* * *

  
  
    "Come here, I won't hurt you.."  
    Yamikage kneeled, trying to make himself as small as he could. His voice was nothing short of a coo, and he tried to soften his permanently tired and angry looking eyes. Red wasn't exactly a friendly color, especially paired with his 'resting bitch face'.  
    The little baby monster was hiding in a fairly large crack in the dried ground. Yamikage could only tell it was still there thanks to the spikes on its back. They stuck up high enough for him to see it. It'd occasionally stick its face out to look at him, only to duck back down and not move an inch.  
    It was a baby Warmadillo, a creature he'd never personally faced in battle due to its heavy stature, but one he'd seen more than often on the field. It had golden claws, a back of spikes, and a large orange-gold jewel on its forehead. The adults, he noted, all had deep purple eyes. This one had a soft pastel color in its. Also unlike the adults, it made soft noises of fear.  
    Yamikage looked around the bloodied battlefield, spotting a distant fallen Warmadillo, its back cracked open and spilling its strange fluids on the ground. His heart panged at the idea of this baby monster being orphaned. This was an innocent child, a baby hiding in a warzone.  
    He's a Star Warrior. It's his job to protect the innocent.  
    Yamikage pulled himself closer to the child, hearing it squeak in alarm when it eventually peeked to look at him. It went and tried to scuttle through the crack to get away from him, but Yamikage is an elite ninja that practiced agility daily. It wasn't escaping any time soon.  
    Though stabbing himself on its back spikes in the process, he pounced onto the baby creature, wrapping his hands around it and lifting it up so it couldn't run further. It squealed and flailed, squirming in his firm hold.  
    "Shh, shh, calm down. Ugh, geez, I'm not very good at this.."  
    Yamikage grumbled, trying his best to pet the baby out of its frenzy.   
    It took a couple minutes, but eventually the little creature submitted to its fate. It still let out loud squeals, trying to alert any nearby monsters to its endangered presence. Or.. Perhaps it was trying to alert its mother.  
    Another pang.  
    "I'm not going to hurt you, it's alright.."  
    He held the baby close to him, like a hug, somehow not predicting that it would try and scratch the everloving shit out of him. Thank goodness its claws weren't exactly sharp enough to make him bleed. Sort of like holding a kitten or something. He winced, but it wasn't all that bad.  
    "Lets get you back to camp."  
    He said, getting back up and hearing it squeak more. The tiny thing was so shaken. Hopefully he could change that.  
    On his way back to base, the little monster went limp in his arms. At first fearful that he'd somehow killed it with fear, he breathed a breath of relief when he'd realized it was just asleep. The rise and fall of its side differentiated it from eternal sleep.  
    When he eventually arrived, his group of fellow ninjas were the first ones to know of what he'd brought back.  
    "A baby? Where'd it come from?"  
    "Is it alive?"  
    "It's kinda cute.. Kinda."  
    "What're you going to do with it?"  
    The last question was the one that really struck him. Yes, what was he going to do with it? He didn't know how monsters operated. Were they just like regular animals? Did they require food, did they need water? What could he feed this thing, what was toxic? It's not like anyone around here knew how to actually do anything for a monster in any other way than how to end its life.  
    "I think I'll need to talk about Airward about this."  
    Yamikage brushed at the monster's soft underbelly, pushing through his companions to get to the rest of the camp's clearing. After a small bit of searching (and hiding the child from others who passed by him), he eventually wandered into the general's tent. The duck is alone, thankfully. Eating a bit of lunch after a long day.  
    "Yamikage, what can I- what."  
    Airward locked eyes with what Yamikage was holding, eyes flickering with some unknown emotion.   
    "..Is?? Is that a  _baby_ Warmadillo??"  
    He questioned, like he didn't believe what he was seeing. He actually rubbed at his eyes with his wings, like he was doing a double take.  
    "Why in the Stars name would Nightmare make a baby one of those??"  
    Yamikage wasn't sure he'd ever truly adjust to Airward just tossing Enemy's actual name around like that. Airward was just. Way too brave, sometimes. Just inviting bad luck, he was.  
    "I found it on the way back," Yamikage moved to get closer to Airward, whose eyes were still on the tiny monster, "I think we might've killed its parent or something."  
    "Monsters don't reproduce, not like animals do. All of them come from Nightmare. He spawns them using magic."  
    "Oh."  
    Well, now he felt a bit dumb.  
    "I'm just.. Trying to figure out why he'd make a baby version of all things."   
    Airward brushed his feather along the side of it, not disturbing its sleep even slightly.  
    "Maybe he can't spawn them as adults, so..?"  
    Airward is quiet for a moment, like he's considering it.  
    "..Man, I wish I knew what's going through buttchin's mind when he does weird stuff like this."  
    Airward picks his sandwich back up, stuffing the rest in his face like he's on a schedule.  
    "I was thinking we could keep it? Try to tame it, domesticate it to help us fight Enemy?"  
    Airward went wide eyed for a moment, gulping down his sandwich, poking at his chin with his feather. He looked rather sheepish.  
    "No one's tried that before."  
    "Well, we could. We might not have another chance to, have you seen a baby monster in all the years you've fought?"  
    Yamikage had been fighting for, like, what.. Five years now? This was the first time he'd ever seen a baby. Airward had been fighting for more, and-  
    "No. I haven't."  
    Just like he thought.  
    "We should try. For its sake, at the very least. It's just a baby.."  
    There's a nice, long silence as the duck looks down, considering it. By the time he looked back up, Airward was determined.  
    "Alright, sure. We can try. Little thing can even be like, a mascot or something."  
    Airward joked, confident.  
    "What's the worst that can happen?"

* * *

  
  
    Yamikage counted at least eight dead. The base was hectic. Monsters had gotten into camp before, but this time the attack came from within. The baby they'd been sheltering had grown to a full-sized adult by the end of the week, and suddenly went berserk in the night. Yamikage had woken up to screams and sounds of destruction.  
    There was a gigantic feeling of dejection and betrayal that hit him, watching the creature he sheltered go and destroy its own adoptive home. Go and attack the medical bay, attack the food supplies. Then there's another strange feeling that overcomes him; suspicion.   
    Warmadillos would sometimes flame, but it was only out of their claws. Their flames were bright and orange, similar to their gem. This one had flames coming out of its back, ones that were purple. They weren't large, and they didn't produce much light, but they were still there. There was also another key thing; the eyes. They were covered in impossible shadows. Impossible even for the night.  
    "Hey!"  
    Yamikage yelled, grabbing its attention. He instantly regretted this, because now it was running towards him, trampling soldiers to get to him. As it ran, Yamikage watched its face. Paralyzed for whatever reason, all he did was watch as it charged.   
    Right below its jewel, a third eye opened, then closed. In the moment it was there..   
    It looked horribly smug.  
    Before it could arrive and slice Yamikage open, it was deterred by a snake-like veteran, weilding a gigantic steel hammer. They crossed infront of Yamikage, using their gargantuan body to lift themselves high enough to get a good strike right at the monster's weakpoint; its gem.  
    All it took was one clang, and the Warmadillo was on the ground, spasming from the agony of it's main place of thought formation being destroyed. A few more hammer strikes to its head, and it stopped moving entirely.   
    The unarmored red snake-like turned and looked at Yamikage like he'd done something incredibly stupid.  
    "Dumbass."  
    She hissed, slapping him with an open hand before leaving. Ow.   
    Yamikage felt tears prick ever so slightly at his eyes as he looked down at the now dead monster before him. Maybe he had tears in his eyes because he'd been slapped so hard. Probably the first one. Most likely both.  
    He cradled its large face in his hands, sadness quickly turning to wrath. This wasn't its fault. It didn't lash out because-  
    "Hey."  
    He snapped his head back, where Airward was standing. He was certainly less than pleased. Yamikage paled, quickly looking away and back down to the creature. Had he gotten attached too fast? Maybe. Maybe he did.   
    "Now we know what happens when we let baby monsters in-"  
    "It wasn't their fault."  
    Yamikage internally cursed his voice crack. Why he felt so emotionally devastated by this death was beyond him. He'd watched his friends die and only received anger, but he watches a monster die and he becomes saddened  _and_ enraged..?  
    "It clearly was. People are dead, Yamikage."  
    "No, no, it wasn't. I saw it, a eye, there was an eye on it."  
    "People see things when they're going through a tough time mentally. Seeing your little baby grow up into a murderous beast must've-"  
    Yamikage didn't think twice before grabbing the shurikens he had hidden on him. With a swift turn, he'd flung them at Airward, rage suddenly causing him to lash out. Perhaps he would've actually hit the guy if he weren't so mad. Instead, they stuck on the ground beside the duck's feet.  
    "It was a Dark Matter. I  _saw_ it."  
    He insisted, voice shaking.  
    "Okay then."  
    Airward blinked, looking around before locking eyes with the red snake soldier from before. She was grabbing at the corpses of her fallen brothers in arms.  
    "Hey, Zerda, you were up close and personal with the Warmadillo. Did you see any signs of Dark Matter?"  
    "No."  
    She responded, going back to her side job as a corpse collector. Airward looked back to the ninja, that confidence of his looking poisonous.   
    "There you have it."  
    Airward grabbed at the shurikens stuck in the ground beside him and tossed them back to Yamikage lightly.  
    "Anyways, for attempted assault on your general and general recklessness, you're going to have a forced vacation you can use for thinking things over."  
    "You're going to imprison me?"  
    "Yeah."

* * *

  
  
    "Hey monsterfucker."  
    Yamikage hated the nickname. He detested it. He can see why they'd given him it, but that didn't mean he couldn't hate it. He couldn't speak out against it, is the worst part. He had to sit and take it because he was under a sort of 'captive' status at the moment. The more he raged against this status, the longer it'd be extended.  
    "Lunch's served."  
    Yamikage didn't bother to look at who was talking, he could honestly care less. He simply extended his hand up, grabbed at the tray they held for him, then tugged it down for his viewing. They left his tent briefly afterwards.  
    The tray's contents were meager. Very meager. After the Warmadillo destroyed a bunch of the food supplies, this was all that was available for the person who was shoved off to have the leftovers. He'd growl, but his stomach already did that for him.  
    He ate in silence, eyes hardening with anger and resentment. Not for the Warmadillo for doing this, but for his fellow soldiers. How he'd wished they'd be the ones to screw up, to incur Airward's toxic smile that hid wrath. To see what it feels like when they're abandoned by their 'brethren'.

* * *

  
  
    Another battlefield. The fight had been won, yes, but this time it was under some. Terrifying conditions. Enemy would occasionally show up personally to help his attacks, a placid face all the while he did. This, this was one of those times. His monsters and will to continue fighting today seemingly extinguished, the caped wizard simply hovered there like some sort of immovable object. A hundred (or possibly more) foot tall mountain of blanket.  
    To say that Yamikage didn't find some parts of him enchanting would be a plain lie. The cape the sorcerer wore, the moving starscape was simply something Yamikage couldn't help but appreciate. So gigantic and contrasting from the day's light blue sky with its endless night.. It was very pretty, even if it belonged to a generally horrible person.  
    Today, he just. Was there. Hovering like he'd forgotten where he was. So, obviously hesitant, the soldiers below him did their duties of checking around the dead monsters for surviving soldiers. Yamikage was one to stick around for especially long nowadays, and now was not an exception.  
    Yamikage lingered on a monster for a bit too long, staring at its blood still trickling off its body.  
    "Hey, monsterfucker, it's dead. You a necrophiliac too?"  
    "Wouldn't be surprising!"  
    The joke then laughter of nearby 'comrades' snapped him out of it, making him blush from embarrassment and slightly wounded pride. His eyes darted away and he continued on his search, separating himself from the rest of his 'friends' as he did so. Probably a bad idea, but whatever. He didn't want to be laughed at, and he could defend himself if need be.  
    Unless Enemy himself attacked him. Then Yamikage would be royally screwed. But a glance up at the evil wizard's direction told Yamikage the guy wasn't going to be moving unless a literal explosion snapped him out of his thoughts. Or if Airward did whatever it is that he did that always scared Enemy off the battlefield.  
    But Airward took a day off today to work on plans rather than check the battlefield. So. Yeah. Yamikage would just have to hope nothing would alert him.  
    Yamikage wandered a bit, coming across more dead monsters and not too many soldiers. More, more, more dead monsters.. Then.. Then there's one. One living one. It was a Pterodaclopse (a skin-winged creature with a triangular head and one eye), covered in blood of another monster. No visible injuries on it, and it was clearly breathing, albiet in small intervals. Its eye was shut.  
    Yamikage walked close, gripping his sword and preparing to take a swing at the creature's neck.  
    Then he stills himself, blinks, and just clutches at the handle. He opens his mouth to speak, looking up at Enemy then back down at the monster. It could escape, it could live. If it got back to the wizard that created it. Its wings looked perfectly fine.. If it flew, it'd attract the attention of the other soldiers, but also could possibly snap Enemy out of his daze.  
    A chance is better than no chance, right?  
    "Hey, hey, wake up."  
    Yamikage said, looking around for any nearby soldiers before eventually approaching again. It most likely wouldn't respond to him through just verbal means, since it was pretending to be dead.  
    He kicked it in the chin. No response.  
    "I'm not going to hurt you. Your dad, creator, whatever, is still on the battlefield. If you fly to him, you can live. Get up."  
    Yamikage reassured, hesitantly going and shaking its head with one of his hands.  
    "I'm trying to help you here, get up!"  
    Its eye snapped open and it squabbled to its clawed feet. Without a second to waste, it shot off into the sky. Yamikage felt the whiplash from its take off hit him in the face. Tossed him to the ground, actually.  
    He heard the distant noises of soldiers yelling, calling out that they saw the creature fly. Yamikage watched with baited breath, seeing arrows and lasers alike being shot at it. His breath was let out when he saw a laser pierce through it, causing it to sputter in the air, then spiral down.  
    Its scream echoed across the battlefield.  
    Its scream stirred Enemy.  
    The wizard, seemingly lightly surprised, moved his steel hand to catch his creation before it could hit the ground. Yamikage watched as the hand glowed red, seeing tendrils of smoke whisp from it to.. Do something. Yamikage's view was obscured by the sorcerer's fingers. The other soldiers were quiet, most likely shitting themselves over the fact that the strongest person in this war was moving and thinking once more.   
    Enemy brought his hand close to himself once more, before seemingly placing something on his shoulder. He stayed motionless for a moment.. Before he looked down at Yamikage.  
    Yamikage legitimately trembled in pure horror at the sorcerer's gaze being directed at him. He knew there was no way Enemy could actually see him from that height and gargatuan size, but it's the thought that counts. The thought that Enemy had somehow been told of Yamikage's existence, and thus was looked at. Looked at by someone who genocided  _billions_.  
    Expressionless, wordless, Enemy grabbed at one side of his cloak, and swept it over himself. Just like that, he was gone.

* * *

  
  
    "Monsterfuckerrr!"  
    The rookies sneered, bawling with laughter as Yamikage crossed them. He internally thanked the Stars that none of his ninja recruits were so brash as to insult him like this. It'd been. What, a year or two since the whole Warmadillo thing? Yet people were still calling him this? You'd think that when people died, they'd take their stupid fucking insults with them, but apparently not. Seems like stupid insults are a hereditary thing. If hereditary meant seeping down through the ranks. It was nothing short of bullying, but Airward sure as shit wasn't going to do anything about it because it 'makes people happy'.  
    "Why do you guys call him that?"  
    A purple, blonde-haired recruit asked, sounding slightly amused.  
    "Oh, you haven't heard? Apparently he was caught doing it with a dead monst-"  
    Yamikage didn't think twice before sending a shuriken towards the speaking recruit's head. They let out a loud yelp as it hit tore through the tent they sat infront of, leaving a nice rip to show off just how close they were from getting ever so slightly stabbed.  
    "My name is Yamikage and I suggest you use it unless you want to lose your eye."  
    He growled, going onward like he didn't hear the amused mumbles that continued behind him. He only turned when he heard the slight clatter of a metal thing falling on the ground behind him.  
    Yamikage turned, seeing his shuriken, and the blonde recruit looking quite embarrassed with himself. A face of someone who tried to do something and had failed. Yamikage's eyes narrowed further.  
    "Jecra!"  
    Another recruit suddenly shouted, coming out of nowhere. A blue Batamon. The small blue orb grabbed onto 'Jecra's' arm, tugging him down before slapping him across the back of the head. Apparently this orb saw what his friend was trying to do and wasn't too pleased.  
    "Don't do-" The orb snarled before looking to Yamikage, "I'm sorry for him, sir."  
    That's a first.  
    "I'd hope so. Keep your friend under control before I fail to keep my temper."  
    Jecra suddenly gasped, like the guy sounded excited. Yamikage could just feel his blood pressure rising.  
    "Someone get the wedding bells! It's a match made in the Stars!"  
    Both Yamikage and Jecra's orb friend looked at him with the same expression. Confusion and annoyance.  
    "Jecra, I am going to have to hit you ag-"   
    "Upbupbup, behave in front of your potential boyfriend, bro."  
     _What_.  
    "Jecra!"  
    The orb cried out at the joke made at his expense. He looked at Yamikage, almost desperate.  
    "I am so, so sorry for him."  
    "Two edgelords! You two were destined for eachother! Go on, bro, propose!"  
    Jecra got another slap to the back of the head, to which he chuckled. Yamikage, however, found it just as amusing as Jecra's friend did. Most likely even less so. No, not most likely. He definitely found it less amusing.  
    "You're lucky your friend is here to apologize for you, Jecra."  
    Yamikage growled, just about ready to grab his weaponized star off the ground to fling at the rookie. Jecra looked like he was about to say something, but then his friend promptly covered for him.  
    "Yes," the orb said loudly, "yes he is. He'll be stopping now. Sorry."  
    Yamikage plucked the star and stored it away, glower on his face as he left the two to their own devices. He wasn't even three steps away before Jecra spoke up once more.  
    "..I think he actually might be into monsters more than you, bro. Probably gonna have a bit of competition next time there's a battle."  
    The ninja turned around again, chucking the star at Jecra. The rookie gave a startled, girlish scream as he did so.

* * *

  
  
    After he'd spent his time being a 'captive' for harming a new recruit, Yamikage was back on the battlefield. Well, he was ordered to be on the battlefield. But.. He'd hung back, watching all the fights with a spaced out look. He was lost in his own thoughts. His nonexistent thoughts.  
    Though the noises from the field were most likely loud, all of it was drowned out by. Nothing. Silence. It was a strange, dream-like feeling, one that he hadn't felt in a while.   
    "Is.. Something wrong, Yamikage?"  
    One of his fellow ninjas chirped, sword drawn and ready to descend into the battle themselves. Yamikage blinked, looking down, then back up once more.   
    "I'm not sure."  
    "Do you need the mental medic?"  
    He'd never once visited the 'mental medic' they had on call. He always too busy going off and brooding, meditating, all that.  
    "I don't think so."  
    "Alright. I'll see you down there."  
    Without a word more, the ninja rushed past Yamikage, down to go claim their stakes in a battle of beasts. Yamikage, however.. For some reason, could not bear to move from the spot he'd stuck himself in, no matter how much his logic tried to force it.  
    He was simply too miserable to.

* * *

 

    He went to battles only to hide and stick to their sidelines. He knew he wasn't a coward, he wasn't afraid of fighting a monster and dying, it was something else entirely. But he's not about to go up to a quote-unquote therapist and admit what he's doing. He couldn't afford that 'mental medic' telling Airward about his softly traitorous actions.  
    So, instead, he sits outside his tent and broods for the public to see. He lets the nickname singe him whenever it's jokingly spat, anger softly broiling in the back of his mind. He just shoots others with a glower if they get too close, and that typically shuts them up.   
    His eyes lock on the blue Batamon crossing by him. It's the shuffling of the orb's feet that caught him. Yamikage sees the orb almost bump into one of the other older veterans; Zerda.  
    Her head shot down and her eyes constricted, looking pissed off by what she saw. Oh boy, entertainment.  
    "What do you think you're doing, bringing a monster into camp?"  
    She hissed, coiling on the spot and crossing her gigantic arms.  
    "He's a baby-"  
    "It will grow up and kill us if you try and keep it."  
    ..A baby monster? Yamikage's heart jumped and eyes softened from deep-rooted regret. He stayed silent, though, just watching the scene unfold because he knew better than to interfere.  
    "Well he has no one to take care of him, and either leaving him to die or killing him myself.. I-I don't know, it doesn't sit right with me!"  
    The orb stammered, backing off from the unamused lizard, only for her to lean forward in a way that was nothing short of looming. She held her large hand out, like she expected to be given something.  
    "Give it to me, then. I'll snap it's neck if you are incapable."  
    He wanted to rip his eyes away, but it's like a car crash or a trainwreck. Something keeps you stuck looking at it.  
    "He's just an infant-"  
    "It. It is a danger. No matter how small it seems now. Monsters cannot be tamed, they cannot be domesticated. Even if you raised it from the very moment it was born, it will try to kill you as soon as it comes of age."  
    "I.."  
    "Hand. It. Over."  
    If it weren't for the general rabble of the camp, everything would've gone silent there. The orb shakily placed a tiny, tiny creature in Zerda's scaly hands.   
    "Enemy only creates baby monsters so that way it seems like we can trust them. Keep that in mind."  
    And, as easily as someone would open a soda can, she grabbed it with her other hand and ended its life with a tiny 'snap'.  
    "You wouldn't want to learn that lesson the hard way. If you find more and cannot do it yourself, bring them to me, and I will bring them into The Void mercifully."  
    Zerda promptly slithered off, off towards the direction of the recently used battlefield to discard of the child's body. Yamikage stood, and simply walked over to the freshly traumatized blueberry.  
    "..You."  
    Yamikage spoke, for some reason not going for a more simplistic approach. The orb looked at him, eyes yellow and mouth temporarily wordless. Yamikage stumbled, not the best at. Comfort. At least, he didn't believe he was.  
    "Your intentions, I heard.. They were pure. Your kindness, empathy towards monsters, though not appreciated by most, is very telling of your own personal character."  
    The orb did not change the way he looked at him.  
    "I was in some- A similar situation to yourself. At one point, a couple years back. It is not a shameful position to be in, so do not guilt yourself for it. It is not your fault, being trusting. It is others fault for not trusting enough."  
    The orb blinked, looking downcast, then making eyecontact again.  
    "..Yamikage, right..?"  
    "Yes."  
    "Thank you."  
    Well, it seems like what he said had worked. Thank goodness, he didn't need another mope walking around camp. Especially not one that reminded him of himself.  
    "And yours?"  
    "..Uh.."  
    "Your name."  
    "Oh. Meta."  
    He remembered this kid as the friend of that other kid who's been making fun of him a  _lot_ as of late. Obnoxious purple gremlin, he is.  
    "Try not to think of it much. It won't do you any good to ruminate on things you lose because of other people, Meta."

* * *

  
  
    "Get down, get down!"  
    Was shouted as purple lasers flew over head. Yamikage had hid behind a long dead monster, not dearing to peek as he felt its heavy body shift and an explosion happen right behind him.  
    "What's wrong with that thing!? Why's it attacking!?"  
    "I think someone tried to stab it!"  
    "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!"  
    Some absolute fucking moron tried to stab a Dark Matter? Yeah, great plan, bozo. Absolutely fantastic. Now they had a thing that's literally near impossible to kill on their hands. Stars, why did this need to happen on one of the few days Yamikage could force himself to fight?  
    "Hey, hey, where's Galaxia guy?!"  
    'Galaxia guy', also known as Meta. Yeah, Galaxia was supposed to have a bunch of righteous power stored in it, enough power to even be compared to Enemy's. Like, a lot.  
    "There, there! Go, dude!"  
    The sound of explosions and tings were loud, before an eventual blood-curdling scream filled the air. Yamikage nearly covered his ears from how grating it was. Instead, he cringed, thinking of what possibly could be happening there that caused such an awful noise.  
    There's cheers from the other soldiers. Cautiously, Yamikage poked his head out from his cover to see Meta and a somewhat deflated looking Dark Matter. On Meta's sword. You couldn't even see the blade, for it was hilt-deep in the Dark Matter's stabbed out eye. Geez, that eyeball was huge..   
    Yamikage, for a moment, was jealous. Then, for the rest, he was incredibly envious. He managed to push it down, to go forward and congratulate Meta Knight for his victory over one of the galaxy's most obnoxious superpowered flies.  
    Before Yamikage left with the rest of the group, he did not hesitate to give the disgusting creature another stab wound. Not so smug without an eyeball, now was it?

* * *

  
  
    "Shiver Star? What about it?"  
    "Well, first off, it's a planet that used to have an ancient civilization, but that's not what's important here."  
    Airward stood infront of a large projector, which showed the planet in question on a screen. It was night out, so the display was easy to see. Yamikage sat amongst the crowd of sleepy soldiers, surrounded by his ninjas.  
    The projector clicked and showed a new slide, one of a more 'streetview' sorta thing of the planet's ground.  
    "Shiver Star is a very, very special planet. And I'm using it as an example because I'm sure everyone here knows of the place, but not of what goes on there. Which, well, other than it snowing all the time."  
    Airward faced outwards, puffed up nicely.  
    "Shiver Star is what's known as a uh- what the sciencey folks call, an Arcane Vacuum. Essentially, what an Arcane Vacuum does is it drains magic from its inhabitants and stores it in the planet's core. For what reason, no one's exactly sure. Shiver Star is one of the biggest Arcane Vacuums in this galaxy, to the point where if a magic user were to step even so much as an inch into its atmosphere, they'd be unable to cast any sort of spells whatsoever. Runes, also, do not work there."  
    There's a bit of a mumble from the audience.  
    "Shiver Star is whats known as a death trap to creatures like Nightmare. His monsters also. Since they are all made up of magic, if they were to go there, they'd be trapped essentially forever unless someone came around in a ship to take them off the planet."  
    "Are you saying we should try and lure him there..?"  
    Someone questioned, clearly tired.  
    "No. Because Nightmare's not that much of an idiot to go onto a planet that's literally infamous for this stuff. However, I am saying that with our next move, we will be transferring over toooo— hit the next slide, please-"  
    A soft click and the picture behind Airward was exchanged to a small planet, with no mountains, nothing. No oceans either. Just an orb. Well, there were a couple craters on it.  
    "Jutarus, six seven two one. This planet has no life on it, and is a tiny Arcane Vacuum. It's enough that magic users will feel slightly drained from being on it, it restrains them slightly, and runes still work perfectly fine on it. Now, the interesting part of this planet is where it's situated. Next slide."  
    A new slide, showing two large balls and one smaller one between them was shown.   
    "It's between two suns. It is perfectly heated on both sides, and it actually does, yes, have an livable and breathable atmosphere. This planet, because of its perfect heat, has no wind whatsoever. It also has no seasons, no seasons except for summer because it does not rotate around its suns; its suns rotate around it. So, if runes were placed outside, they'd have absolutely no chance of being blown away."  
    A new slide; a.. Hm. Yamikage could've sworn he saw this rune before. Something about it seemed very, very familiar. It was in the shape of a circle, with lots and lots of weird scribblings all over its edges.  
    "This is a high grade restricting rune. It's meant to be strong enough to restrict even Nightmare; a guy who's made out of fear magic. I've gotten a couple modern day runemasters to make some appropriate adjustments to it, strengthen it a bit more."  
    Yamikage saw where this was going.  
    "Essentially, what we're going to need to do is construct this rune big enough for him to be completely encapsulated in. Which, considering our numbers, is going to be a bit hard, so I've asked for help from nearby planets. They'll be waiting for us when we get there. Upon completion, we'll move somewhere else onto the planet before slowly, slowly moving our way backwards on a schedule that'll end with him in it."  
    Airward grinned, happy.   
    Yamikage, however, did not feel happy one bit. Maybe it's the fact that he was being kept from sleeping for this nonsense.   
    "We head off tomorrow. Within these next weeks, we'll win the war!"

* * *

  
  
    The rune had been completed, and the rest of the plan was going smoothly. Everything was fine, except for Yamikage's sleep schedule. It was literally nearly impossible to sleep on a planet with no night, but time shoved along and he'd managed.  
    Another day of battle had arrived, and just like clockwork, so had Enemy. They'd predicted where he'd end up placing himself essentially perfectly, and his holler of shock echoed across an empty planet. The base was situated a fair distance away from the rune. One in which was placed in one of the planet's largest craters. It was the perfect size for gigantic the sentient blanket.  
    Distantly him battle the magic shackles from grasping onto his form and force him further into the rune's confines was a spectacle. Yamikage, even from this distance, could see sparks flying on Enemy's hands, and he could see legitimate despair cross that normally emotionless face. He could hear him grunting and growling, loudly, as more and more of the rune's ruthless security grasped hold of him.  
    It'd probably taken an entire minute and around twenty different chains pulling on Enemy before the rune's barrier 'shung' up, It glittered in the sunlight like glass, glowing softly cyan before becoming completely invisible.   
    There was a swath of silence before loud cries of pure joy erupted from the battered war veterans and rookie alike. For their plan, the plan to win the war, it had worked. Yamikage watched on in pure disbelief that it'd actually succeeded.   
    An unexplainable, deep feeling of pity suddenly conjured itself like ribbons and wrapped ahold of his heart as he watched Enemy still struggle against his new binds. Him smashing his metalic fist against the barrier, it making cyan ripples similar to waves.. Sometimes told Yamikage Enemy would be at it for a while.. A very long while. Until the guy..  
    Until he was forgotten, and eventually starved to death.  
    A shiver ran through him, at the idea of being isolated somewhere, imprisoned, damned to die from one of the most torturous and slow ways to go out.   
    The festivities began and lasted for a fair bit of time. It only ended when Airward had decided he wanted to go talk to his 'catch' before they all ditched him and went back home. Everyone had to come, mandatory thing.   
    Not like anyone would want to miss it.  
    The trek was talkative. Everyone was oh-so-happy. Except Yamikage, of course. Part of him was pained, the other was angry. He couldn't explain it. It just was. Was he getting mad over nothing? It didn't feel that way.  
    "Hey, monsterfucker, what're you going to do now that big daddy Enemy can't give you your monster puss?"  
    Fantastic. Yamikage was very tempted to just go ape and draw his sword on the moron who decided they'd taunt him now of all times, but he was going to at least try to remain calm. Key word there, try.  
    "Oh wait, you can just go back to the other planets and fuck some corpses, can't you?"  
    Laughter. After this visit.. Yes. Something's going to happen. He swore it. For some reason, others are going to end up mutilated. Quietly assassinated. People were going to end up dead in the morning.  
    "Dude, stop. Seriously." One of Yamikage's aquaintance ninjas warned.  
    "Listen, 'dude', I can make all the insults I want. From what I heard, he got people killed because of his monsterfucking habits or whatever, so he deserves to be harassed."  
    "Well, I may not know everything, but I'm sure that's not the case. Buzz off."  
    "Oh yeah, like he told you what happened. I bet he's just lying."  
    "He did, and he didn't fuck a monster. People got killed but-"  
    "There's no but. People got killed, he deserves to be pushed around for getting peopled killed, squirt."  
    After that, Yamikage just tuned it out entirely.  
    It took a while, but eventually, everyone was standing right on the cusp of the crater, looking up at the gigantic wizard, who seemed to be getting out of breath from all the exercise. Airward coughed, clearing his throat.  
    "Hey, Nightmare."  
    Airward smiled, and Enemy looked around like he couldn't exactly see where Airward and the others were.  
    "Down here- oh, wait, the inside of there is pretty confusing and opaque for you, isn't it?"  
    ..Enemy can't see them? Man that's.. That's like putting him in an isolation chamber. On a windless, noiseless planet.. This was.. This was torture, wasn't it? For a sentient, social creature?  
    Airward chuckled and it sounded nothing short of evil.  
    "Well, Nightmare, you've certainly done a lot of things in your time, haven't you? Genocide, murder, planet destruction, you've made quite the list!"  
    There's something about the general that stings Yamikage in just the wrong places.  
    "I'm sure the Stars approve of this punishment for all of your terrible deeds, so, yeah. We're just gonna leave you here so you can think about what you've done. Really just stew on all of it."  
    Enemy is silent, and to Yamikage it looks like the fellow was looking at his handcuffs that were anchored to the ground below.  
    "Why the chains..?"  
    Enemy questioned, voice raspy from exertion. Airward looked at his friends like Enemy had asked a stupid question before turning back to him.  
    "Chains are useful for holding down a lot of things, Nightmare, and you are one of them."  
    That statement.. Something about it royally pisses Yamikage off.  
    "..Do you believe you've won..?"  
    Enemy questioned, leering.  
    "My monsters will arrive soon.. And all it takes is just one scuff mark, just a small breeze, even, on this precious physical incantation of yours to break it.."  
    Despite the confident statement, Enemy does not have a big grin on his face or the tone. It's just pure emotionless blather from a stone-faced man. Airward was more than happy to show off his pride, though.  
    "Guess we'll deal with a couple visitors just as easily as we did with you."

* * *

  
  
    The monsters came and went. The equivalent of 'night' had come, and GSA and Star Warriors had submitted to sleep in broad daylight. There were few awake, though. Most of them being part of the ninja division. Yamikage had organized it, this whole 'stay up' idea. He'd told every single one of his fellow ninjas about it, and they listened to him, albeit grouchily.   
    None asked a single question about what came after they left base. Not a single question about the plan to truly claim a victory. One for themselves.  
    Yamikage silently motioned for them to follow once he was absolutely sure that the path was clear for them all to head out. He didn't need rabble from the rest of the GSA about-  
    "Hey, where are you guys going?"  
    A voice piped up. Yamikage and the rest of his squad looked to see a Waddle Dee with wide but suspicious eyes. They instantly turned into a sneer when the Waddle Dee locked them with Yamikage.  
    "Oh, I see, m-monsterfucker going to go see his favorite sugar daddy one last time?"  
    That's it. He's so fucking sick of this 'monsterfucker' nickname. No one's calling it anymore, and he's starting off with this little monkey orb. Yamikage walked carefully through his 'friends' and up to the Waddle Dee, who stood to be less and less confident the closer he grew.  
    "Turn around for me."  
    He requested, voice less than gentle. Out of fear or stupidity or both, the Waddle Dee did so. No hesitance, Yamikage drew his sword, and impaled right through the Waddle Dee. Her scream was a gurgle as he withdrew and stabbed once, twice, thrice more. He kept going and going and going until he heard nothing but pure and absolute silence.  
    Yamikage probably looked like an absolute psychopath when he got off of the Waddle Dee that now slightly resembled swiss-cheese. If there was any ninja who'd called him a 'monsterfucker' before, he was more than sure they'd never be doing it after this point.  
    All scared stiff by their fellow soldier's bloodied sword and appearance, they'd followed him out of camp, leaving the Waddle Dee where it was. Yamikage would've thought that the murder of that GSA member would've shut anyone up, would've made it so no one in their right mind would question him, but, well.  
    Someone was lagging behind. One of his ninja 'pals'.  
    "Keep up."  
    Yamikage had commanded, noticing the hesitance in this guy. Eventually, he'd stood positively still, like a statue.  
    "Did you not hear me?"  
    The fellow was still. Yamikage's eyes narrowed at this lone sheep.  
    "Is something wrong with you?"  
    Murder and death was nothing new in this war. The death of that Waddle Dee shouldn't have made that big of an impact. Ah, but.. Perhaps he's just a bit too stone in his empathy. He has been doing this for a very, very long time, after all. He hadn't been close to anything in years. At least, not significantly.  
    "..Did you know that Waddle Dee?"  
    "No."  
    They finally responded.   
    "Well, then what's the problem?"  
    They responded once more by gripping at their sword. Yamikage believed he knew where this was heading. Betrayal.  
    "I don't want to do this.."  
    A pansy, then? Ugh.  
    "You don't, do you? Well, I guess what you do want to do is run back to camp and get someone to stop me before I get to Enemy, don't you?"  
    Silence. A telling one. Yamikage had hit it the nail right on the head, it seems.  
    "..Sure, I'll let you do that. If you fight me, and you win."  
    Yamikage drew his sword, knowing the battle's outcome before it even came. This guy, he was relatively new compared to him. Yamikage, he'd been fighting monsters, he'd been fighting this war for a decade longer.   
    That's why, when the two clashed, Yamikage didn't have to use any tricks or unfairness. He won by pure skill, and skewered the traitorous ninja as easily as he did with the Waddle Dee. Did it hurt him to spill ninja blood, knowing that this person had nothing against him except for this plan?  
    Even Yamikage is unsure.  
    He and the rest of his group left the bleeding out special snowflake where he was, and walked the rest of the way to Enemy. Even he, apparently, was abiding by an internal clock, and seemed like he was asleep. Lying on the ground and everything.  
    Anxiety pricked at him, then excitement. Yamikage inhaled, then exhaled, looking upon the slumbering and chained sorcerer with fear and anticipation for what came next.    
    "Nightmare!"  
    He called, finally shedding the army-wide proxy name. There's a groan from the blanket, waking him up as he staggered into a float. He looked around in a state of puzzlement, trying to figure where exactly its source was.  
    "Who dares to come and taunt me more? And as I, for once, peacefully sleep, too.."  
    He rumbled, rubbing at his face with chained hands. Dude had manacles around his palms, even. Really just. Ludicrous, the amount of chains and cuffs there were. Better safe than sorry, the line of thought probably was.  
    "Nightmare.."  
    Yamikage repeated, hands slightly shaking.  
    "..Yes, you have my attention. You, who speaks my name so easily and bravely, with no fear of death.."  
    Yamikage looked around, frantic for something to say.  
    "I.. I-I am not here to taunt you."  
    "For a conversation, then.. It is still a taunt, to talk to me while I am this low."  
    "Then, I will make it so it is no longer a taunt, and we may talk while you are as high as you so desire to be!"  
    A calm silence, one he did not expect. Nightmare's features.. They remained completely unchanged. Did anything ever phase him..?  
    "Who are you, voice? I have never heard you before.."  
    Nightmare.. Nightmare is asking for his name. Nightmare.. _Nightmare_.  
    "Yamikage, sir. And.."  
    He took a stance, drawing his sword for what needed to happen next. Something unexpected was going to happen, something completely uncalled for. A spare monster, something overlooked, was going to come by..  
    "I.. No, we, are new recruits, at your command."  
    Kill some people, then scruff the rune beyond belief, because..  
    "Fuujin no Jutsu!"  
     After all, who's going to blame the  _wind_ for his escape when they're on a  _windless_ planet?


End file.
